LP Homecoming

Emma was asked to Homecoming by Taran Pew. Our families met when we moved to Orem in 1997. Rachelle and I have kept in touch and remained friends all of these years. Emma and Taran go to the same high school and have Spanish 25 together. The kids are super creative here with dance invitations and this was no exception! He "popped" the question with a ton of balloons...Each balloon had candy in it and Emma had to pop each balloon to find pieces to a paper puzzle:

She responded later that evening with this:

So the big night finally came tonight! Being the cost-conscious girl that she is, Emma borrowed a dress from a friend and Jacquelynne did Emma's hair and make-up. She was the first girl to get picked up and I was able to get a couple of quick pics before the boys got here.

Taran and Emma exchanged boutineers and corsages:

And the boys carried her off into the sunset:

Dinner at Carabbas:

Emma said that they had a really fun night and the girls were so impressed by the boys' manners and thoughtfulness! We hope Taran had just as much fun, too!

First Day of School

The first day of school started the next morning after getting back from California. Everyone was tired but managed to get out the door in time, in spite of the fact that the new first-day-of-school-outfit seemed all wrong (for some people) at the last minute and it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed after the long drive the day before!

Emma- 11th Grade

I'll just come right out and say it...poor thing, she didn't get a 1st-day-of-school-picture. Emma leaves at 7 am, and I wasn't quite up yet...did I mention that we had just gotten home from California the night before??? So this will have to do. This is one of my favorite pictures of Emma anyway!

Kirsten- 9th Grade

Luckily Kirsten brought the camera into me and I was able to record her first day of 9th grade as I was wiping the sleep out of my eyes. The caption over her head should read "Uh, mom, you might want to get going...school starts in like, um 45 minutes for the kids that can't, uh, you know, like do their own hair and make like, um their own lunches. So, um, yeah...Love ya!"

Zach- 4th Grade

Our little man Zach. So handsome. Wearing his new ADIDAS...just had to have these EXACT shoes. He is one particular boy when it comes to hair and clothes. Doesn't care if there is PB and J smeared all over the shirt, as long as it says Nike, Adidas, or Under Armour somewhere on there. That's what fits his definition of cool. He keeps us laughing!
Zoe- 2nd Grade
Here's our little Zoe...she told me that at recess, another little girl came up to her and said "wow, you've changed your style this year!" I'm not sure what that means, but I think that Zoe took it as a compliment!

Zoe and her friend Natalie walking to class together...so cute!

Jaymison- Kindergarten

Kindergarten doesn't start until a week after regular school. The teachers use that week to meet individually with each new Kindergarten student and do an assessment. I guess this helps them get to know the student and where they are at in the learning process. I think it's kind of silly, especially because the kids are so nervous and have performance anxiety. For example, when Jaymison's teacher asked her if she could tell her what sounds the letters of the alphabet made, Jaymison would just say the beginning sound of the letter, like "eh" for "s". Well, to a 5 year old, that makes sense, right? I thought it was brilliant, but I don't think that's what her teacher had in mind. If she would have only asked her if she knew the one alphabet song that makes each sound of each letter that she sings several times a day.... A "a" apple, B "buh" ball...I am sure she would have been dazzled by her intellectual abilities and moved right up to 1st grade! But hey, I'm no Kindergarten teacher!

Life is a Highway

6 Happy Children
-Summer school ended for me and we packed up the car and drove
all night...Everyone was so excited to go to California!

5 Days at The Pearcy Resort in Temecula
-We got to Julie's at about 5:30 in the morning and crashed for a couple of hours and then
we hit the ground running.


4 Nights of FARKLE
-We stayed up late several nights playing a new dice game that Julie discovered...Farkle.
Even the little kids love to play!

3 Visits with Cousins
-We were able to visit with my brother and his family- Tim, Judi, and their kids, Reece, Grant
and Chloe. We met at Pat and Oscar's, one of our favorite Temecula restaurants. Thanks to
Julie Hunter for the free meals-everyone got their fill of BREADSTICKS!!!

We visited at their house for a little bit and their dog Coco just loved me! She kept jumping up in my lap- I think that she thought I was a safe refuge from all of the commotion!

2 Lovely Beach Days

-The beach was both how we began and ended our California trip. We went straight to the

beach on Friday and then we were able to go to the beach on the last day with McKenna and

Jordan. We were also able to catch up with alot of our old ward buddies...this was the place

to be!

Note to self- In the future, do not take beach pictures sitting next to really tan niece...thanks!

1 Tired Mama
I didn't get much sleep during this trip...driving through the night screwed up my sleep schedule and I always seemed to be awake early in the morning and unable to go back to sleep. I was ready for my bed when we got back home!

(more pictures to follow...from Julie and McKenna)